The information age has facilitated an era of building informative spreadsheets utilizing spreadsheet software applications. However, the organization of features and data within previous spreadsheet file formats is very confusing and unclear to outside programmers and developers. For instance, previous spreadsheet file formats are created in the form of a single file using a binary record format containing all of the information required to render workbooks. Because proprietary formats are generally used to create these single files, writing code to work with and access these file formats without using the application program that created the file format is a nightmare for professional developers.
Another problem is basic document or worksheet re-use. For instance, it is very difficult to extract one or more worksheets from a workbook file and reuse the extracted worksheets in a different workbook and retain worksheet integrity, even in the same application. Comparatively, reusing worksheets between different applications is worse. Reusing content on a worksheet, for example reusing a table from EXCEL to WORD, is similarly difficult.
Additionally, because of the single file format, it is practically impossible to lock part of a workbook. Most of the technology in terms of file locking is all done at the file level, thus if a file is locked by a user, no other users can edit the file. Viewing is possible, but not editing.
There is also a problem of document interrogation. Finding content within a workbook file, for example finding worksheets for a 2004 sales forecast, can be a daunting task. It is difficult to write code that programmatically finds cell A1 of a spreadsheet file and determines the contents of that cell (a string value, a formula, a calculated result) without using the same spreadsheet application that created the workbook. It is also very difficult to find parts of a single file format presentation and determine semantics about the content. For example, it is difficult to write code that programmatically locates a list of data in a spreadsheet application, and adds 3 rows of data to the list without using that spreadsheet application.
It is still difficult to implement reader and writer classes that can handle existing binary file formats well. Even if a tool targeted at an application was developed it could not interrogate all document formats. This problem is referred to as the opaqueness of single file formats.
Still further, due to intermingling of data, the ability to re-brand a worksheet, or multiple worksheets, is nearly impossible outside of the same spreadsheet application. Re-branding a worksheet involves taking a worksheet from workbook A, moving it to workbook B, and making the worksheet look as though it was authored in the normal authoring context of workbook B having the same text-based format.
Document surfacing, the ability to take pieces of a worksheet document and drop them into another document of a different application, is also a problem. For instance, a spreadsheet table copied into a presentation document is difficult to interrogate in the single file format.
Accordingly there is an unaddressed need in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.